Little Truths
by lilabut
Summary: Bella moves to Forks, and the ancient old truck and the cold wind of First Beach form a bond between her and Jacob that is stronger than monsters and magic. ON HIATUS
1. Part 1

Little Truths

Part One

**I**

When he sees the pale girl with the long, dark hair, he can not help but think of better times. Not happier times, no. He is happy. Things are going well, and he knows he should not complains. There is no real reason to. Yes, there might be some troubles here and there, and he could punch whatever phantom force bound his father into that chair. But overall, he knows that he can be grateful for the way things are.

He has always been a happy kid.

Then he looks into her chocolate-colored eyes, sees the shy, awkward, slightly uncomfortable smile stretching her lips, and he remembers. It seems like gazing at the clear night sky, the stars reflections of the past.

When he looks into Bella's eyes – she is older than him, so much older than he remembers – he feels the same tingle in his stomach that had accompanied her arrival all those years ago. All the memories that he cherishes so much over the years become clearer than ever, because the key part is now standing right in front of him, so close.

She is back. Bella is actually back.

**II**

"Hey, I'm Jacob."

She feels a feather-light flutter in her chest when she hears the cheerful greeting of Billy Black's son, a magnetic smile shining on his face. Hunting through her memories, Bella can not remember having ever seen a smile this bright or genuine.

"We used to make mud pies when we were little," Jacob adds, stepping closer to her. Something inside her wants to take a step as well and shake his hand, an urge she can not explain away. It just seems like something she should do. But he was quicker, and now it would just increase the awkwardness that threatened to suffocate her ever since she said goodbye to her mother.

Soundless, shapeless memories drift through her mind at his words, and for a fragment of a second she can feel wet, sandy beach under her fingertips, the harsh blow of the Pacific against her skin, and the enthusiastic chatter of a young boy ringing in her ears.

"Yeah, I remember."

**III**

Jacob's chest swells with pride as he sees the happy grin on Bella's face. She is resting her hands against the old, red truck, and he feels like this is really much more his gift for he than Charlie's. He devoted the last few weeks almost entirely to restoring the old truck that was so close ot his heart, and he wanted it to be the best it could be for Bella.

Yes, he knew he barely knew the girl, and had only spent a few occasional days on the beach, but she was part of a past that was more complete than the present he lives in. A past where his Dad could chase him across the beach, where his sisters had no reasons to flee, and where his mother read him a story before kissing him goodnight.

Bella was part of that, so she deserved this ancient truck to be at its best, even if that meant a rather hefty argument with his father over a disastrous English test, and several inquiries from Quil and Embry about that mystery girl who had to risk her life in the _old piece of junk_.

"Thank you," she says with a bright grin, pulling open the driver's door. Billy's elbow nudges against his back, and Jacob swallows as the truck's door falls shut.

"Better tell her about the clutch, son," his father says calmly as always, and Jacob only nods. Not as always. There are not many events accounted for that have rendered Jacob Black speechless. But the bright grin on Bella Swan's face most certainly does.


	2. Part 2

Part Two

**I**

"Like this?" Bella asks, lower lip caught between her teeth as she experiments with the ancient clutch.

"Yeah," Jacob answers, watching her with a careful eye. This all feels so indescribably odd, even though he had known that Bella would move back here for a while now. Charlie had not been able to keep is mouth shut about it for one second.

Her skin is almost as pale as the steering wheel, absolutely flawless, and he wonders if it might feel as soft as it looks. The long, dark waves of her hair fall loosely over her shoulders, ruffled and messy. Her lips are deeply pink now that she has been chewing on them for minutes, the upper one fuller than the bottom one.

The shirt she is wearing seems too big for her, and the color makes her pale skin look almost bloodless.

"Maybe we should drive a bit, I don't want you crashing the old thing on the way to school," he suggests, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that he would just really like to spend some more time in this truck, with the old men chasing each other across the driveway.

"Good idea," Bella agrees, giving him a shy smile, "Should I give you a lift to school?"

In this second, Jacob wants to curse every force in the universe at the same time. "Oh, I go to school down at the rez."

"Oh, sure," Bella mumbles, eyes fixed on the steering wheel.

"Do you want me to show you the way to your school?"

She looks up again, lip back in between her lips, and Jacob feels another tingle. She is older than him, he keeps telling himself.

But then she smiles at him and nods, and he forgets everything about years and different schools and his sweaty hands.

**II**

The first time she kills the engine, they are about five feet out of Charlie's driveway, and her cheeks flush so deeply red that she can almost feel the temperature in the truck rising.

She clears her throat and re-starts the engine without risking a glance at Jacob Black. Why did she already have to make a fool of herself?

Jacob starts chattering about the truck, the weather, everything really, casual and easy words filling the silence, and it seems so effortless. Bella has never been in need of conversation or company, but for once, she actually feels comfortable driving down the road while Jacob talks and talks.

She can barely remember this boy, but what little she does remember are happy memories. The only real light in those weeks as a child she had to spent in this rainy town, when all she wanted was the sunlight shining down on her at _home_.

But now, _this_ is home. Against all her fears, all the worries fade away a little as Jacob tells her how he worked on the truck for weeks to get it in good shape. She admires the ease in his voice, no words seeming forced. It is all so natural and easy.

"You nervous about school?" he asks when she kills the engine for the third time at a stop sign in the middle of town.

Bella shrugs, not really knowing the answer to the question, and feeling much more comfortable when Jacob is the one talking, and she can just listen.

"You're not doing too bad, you know."

**III**

Half and hour and not a single killed engine later, they pull back into the Swan's driveway. Charlie and Billy are nowhere to be seen, and Bella feels like she just met the only person in the world she could ever really come to like.

He is different from her mother, who talks and talks and talks and chatters about everything and anything, and wants to know everything and anything in return.

He is different from any of the people she had known in her old school, who seemed to tolerate her existence but never really made more of an effort than she did.

He is different from Charlie, who stays just as silent as Bella does herself.

No, Jacob is light and easy to be around, and he makes Bella want to make an effort to make the best of her decision to move here.

She wishes she remembered more of those chilly summer days down on First Beach, covered in mud with the cold wind in her face.

"Thank you, Jacob," she finally says, turning to look at him smiling brightly at her. It is so genuine, so full of life and... sunshine, that she feels her own lips spread into a wide smile before she feels her chest flood with warmth.

"It's no big deal. And you can call me Jake."

_Jake. _She likes the sound of that.

"Let's get inside," she suggests, pulling the key out of the ignition.

The gravel crunches under both their feet, and Bella fiddles with the hem of her shirt as they walk up the few porch steps.

"Bella?"

Her hand, just raised to knock on the front door, falls limply down Bella's side as she turns around to look at Jacob. Although she does not remember much about the boy on the beach, she remembers clearly how she used to look down at him and feel mature. Now, he is the taller one, looking down at her with that happy glow radiating from him like warmth from a fire.

"Do you mind if I call you? You know, so you can tell me all about the other pale faces at your school."

Bella feels giggles threatening to burst out of her, and she quickly turns them into laughter. Jacob joins in, scratching the back of his neck.

"Sure, I'll tell you all about it, Jake."


	3. Part 3

**Part Three**

**I**

"She's a nice girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"Did she like the truck?"

"She did."

It is getting dark outside and the lights of the car cast shapeless shadows onto the line of trees, catching moths in the bright circles.

"Son?"

"Hmm?"

Jacob forces his eyes away from the road and trees and semi-darkness passing by in a blur.

"She's Charlie's girl, you know."

His forehead wrinkles as Jacob adjusts his seat belt that has cut too deeply into his chest for the last ten minutes. Sometimes he has no clue what the old man is talking about.

"What are you talking about?"

Billy sighs, eyes never leaving the road (it is something he never does, eyes glued to the road like a mother's eyes to her child, always watchful, and Jacob tries to ignore why).

"I mean, if she is even just a little bit like Charlie, you might not want to... go there, son."

"Don't be ridiculous," Jacob snorts, but as he looks back to the passing trees, he has a vague feeling that maybe, just maybe, he should listen to his father's advice.

**II**

Bella cannot remember ever having felt this self-conscious in her life. Her fingers dig into the back of her biology book, and she tries to keep her eyes focused straight on the board.

She can feel his eyes drilling into her skin like lasers, her whole body tense. No, she has not expected a warm welcome from everyone, nor does she really care. After all, she is the new girl, the Chief's daughter whose mother ran off with her when she was a baby, pale like a ghost and clumsy.

But Edward Cullen is being downright rude. From her peripheral vision, Bella can see that he still has his palm flat across his mouth and nose, the other hand balled into a tight fist, paying all his negative attention to her.

Recalling Jessica Stanley's words (only few of many she has spoken in the handful of hours that Bella knows her), she tries to find an explanation for his odd behavior. He looks disgusted, almost obsessed and dangerous.

Still, no matter how insulted and confused Bella is (she took a shower this morning, she could not smell that bad), she can not seem to get his more peaceful features out of her head, that she has seen earlier today. Something about him, despite the danger that seems to radiate from him, is powerfully intriguing.

He, along with his siblings, seems to have stepped out of a painting, of something perfect and whole.

Relief floods through Bella as the loud ring marks the end of Biology, and she barely has time to relaxed her cramped fingers, before Edward Cullen has already rushed out of the classroom.

**III**

"Jake!"

"Dude!"

The voices of his best friends thunder through the small, makeshift garage, and Jacob does not even lift his head, too focused on the broken microwave in front of him.

Quil and Embry drop down onto the floor with a dull thud.

"Blew the thing up again? I thought you knew by now not to dry your boxers in there, man."

"Shut up, Call."

"So, did you meet the chick with the truck?"

Jacob sighs, shooting both of them a quick glance. They might be like brothers to him, but there are some things he would rather not discuss with them.

"Her name is Bella."

"Huh? I thought it was Isabelle or something posh like that."

"Yeah, dude, you totally said Isabelle."

"Isabella. But no one calls her that."

The whistle that echoes through the garage finally has Jacob's attention and he looks up from the (hopeless) microwave.

"And you know that _how_, exactly?"

Jacob wants to slap himself, but decides that will not improve his situation the least. He has not told his friends that the chick with the truck is the girl who used to braid is sisters' hair, who read books in his room, and who made mud pies on the beach with him.

The fact that they have not seen each other in ten year makes him sad, and he feels like there has to be something between them that is special, that is their very own common ground.

It is one of the things he does not want to share with his friends. His memories of Bella, and everything else that she was associated with.

"Charlie told my Dad."

"Lame," Quil and Embry mumble almost simultaneously, and half a minute later they are digging through the carton with snacks, minding their own business.


	4. Part 4

Part Four

**I**

"Bells, Jacob is on the phone, says he wants to talk to you," Charlie blurts up the stairs, ripping Bella out of her slumber.

She sits straight up on her bed, folders and papers scattered all over the cover. Trying to shake the image of Edward Cullen's death glare out of her mind, while it still sends shivers down her spine, she untangles her legs and makes her way downstairs.

"Hey, Bella."

It is remarkable how enthusiastic and happy his voice sounds even over the phone. Grabbing a chair from the table, Bella pulls it close to the kitchen counter and sits down, legs folded underneath herself.

"Hey, Jake."

"So, how was the first day?"

Bella takes a cautious look around, but she can hear the television in the living room, so she is sure Charlie is preoccupied.

"Could have been worse, I guess."

Words have never been her strength, and she feels no need to discuss things she has no influence about, or talk when she could be silent just the same. She barely knows Jacob, barely remembers him, and the last thing she is ready for is to open herself up. To him, or to anyone else for that matter.

"So, nothing bad?"

"All good. One of the girls I met talks like a waterfall, though, and I think the other has a big problem with anyone else that shares the same gender."

"Oh, someone afraid of the competition? Let me guess: dumb blonde?"

It comes so easily again. Before she knows what is happening, Bella is actually telling Jacob, whom she just met two days ago, about how terribly annoying Lauren really is and how Jessica, nice and friendly no doubt, could talk more than any talk show host she had ever seen. And Jacob is listening, he is laughing, asking questions, making comments. Like he genuinely cares.

"There was this guy in Biology, though. He was...weird. The only free seat was next to him, and he just... I don't know. Acted as if I smelled really, really bad. Just, really rude."

"Some people have weird problems, I wouldn't worry about it. And you don't stink, don't worry," Jacob reassures her, his laughter echoing through the line.

"Yeah," Bella sighs, shivering again as she remembers the deadly, cold stare Edward Cullen had given her, "Jessica said they're all a bit... odd."

The moment of silence has Bella's attention. It is the kind of silence that is filled with thought, heavy with the weight of the words left unspoken.

"What's his name?"

There is a change in Jacob's voice. It is more tense and serious, some of the ease is gone, and Bella wonders how often this other side of Jacob appears. Faded memories of his sisters and his mother mingle with her unease, and she suddenly realizes the weight this boy must carry.

"Edward Cullen."

The same kind of silence stretches on for a few seconds, and Bella's bottom lip gets caught between her teeth once again.

"Jake? Do you know the Cullens?"

He sighs, and Bella's curiosity catches fire. "No, never met them."

"But?"

"But nothing, really. There are some... rumors about the Cullens down here at the rez, but it's silly, really. Nothing to worry about. Listen, my Dad is calling. Dinner. He said we might stop by later this week, he and Charlie want to watch some old games."

"Okay," she answers, "See you then."

"Yeah, see you then. And keep your head up, Bella."

"Thanks, Jake."

As she hangs up, Bella wishes she could remember more about Jacob so he will not be a stranger anymore.

**II**

When Edward Cullen does not show up for class the next few days, Bella spends Biology flickering through her book, thoughts running wildly through her mind.

Will he keep up his strange behavior when he returns?

Where is he?

Jacob's reaction to hearing the name Cullen is still feeding Bella's curiosity, and she is determined to find out more about those _rumors _he talked about.

Friday night seems too far away, and the growing impatience can barely be contained by homework assignments and reading _Romeo and Juliet_ for the hundredth time, pages starting to come loose, paper wrinkled and creased.

**III**

"Come on, Jake. If it's just silly rumors, why don't you want to tell me?"

Jacob feels conflicted and rather silly himself, as he sits on the ground in front of Bella Swan's bed, avoiding her pleading gaze. She is right, and he knows it as much as he knows he will have to drive Billy home tonight. It is really just a silly story – not a rumor – but the obligation to keep it secret is manifested deeply inside of him.

He is not supposed to share the tribe's stories and secrets. It is not a rule, but it is something that is quietly expected from everyone.

Something inside of him seems to fight against the words, but Bella is smiling at him, and there is a light shining in her eyes that seems worth breaking a little rule for.

Before he knows what he is doing, he is talking about souls and wolves and cold creatures, and Bella is clinging to his lips with so much concentration he is sure she will fall off the bed from the slightest distraction. In fact, he is surprised she is not taking notes.

"It's silly, I know," he ends, kneading his fingers nervously.

"No, I don't think it is."


	5. Part 5

I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, but here it is. I won't be able to update until after New Years's, though.

* * *

Part Five

**I**

Edward Cullen's eyes are golden and much gentler as he introduces himself, apologizing for not having done so last week.

There is something about the sound of his voice, the way he speaks, the slightly crooked smile on his lips that seem to lure Bella into a kind of trance. It is fascinating, captivating, almost impossible to tear her eyes away from.

The Quileute legends echo in her memory, though, Jacob's voice telling her about his ancestors, about tribe legends, ancient stories of wolves and cold creatures.

She had been so engrossed in his telling, that up until now, the connection to the Cullen remains unclear to her. But looking into Edward Cullen's eyes, she starts to understand how easily old and often told legends can turn into reality in someones mind.

**II**

"You should have called and tell me that you're coming over, I would have made some more pasta," Bella says with eyes wide open and shining, smiling as she wipes her hand with the dish towel.

"It's fine, don't worry. Dad just wanted to drop by to give Charlie some fishing stuff," Jacob explains, glad that Bella will not be able to detect the blush that creeps into his cheeks. Never would he admit that she was the only reason he came over here with Billy.

Quil and Embry and their constant question are embarrassing enough, he does not feel the need to add humiliation to the mix, as well. Ever since Lucy Connelly has refused to go on a date with Embry, he _and Quil_ – out of brotherly solidarity and because his mother was determined for him to take his cousin to prom – have become way too interested in making other people's relationships as uncomfortable as their own.

Jacob spends more time doing his homework these days than he ever has, for the sole reason of his best friends to get bored with him and stop their interrogations.

"You're sure you don't want anything?"

"No, but thanks."

Steam envelops Bella's frame as she pours the pasta out of the pot, and she wipes her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt. Jacob watches her move through the kitchen, a soft sigh escaping her every now and then.

"Edward Cullen is back, by the way," she says as she puts two plates on the table, knocking her hips against the wooden edge in the process.

Jacob barely hears her pained hiss. It is that name echoing through his mind, echoing in his ears. He feels incredibly silly again, pathetic for his dislike of this family that he hasnever met. But something inside of him cringes, something deeper than repeated stories and unofficial rules. It is something instinctual, something primal that he can not explain.

"He is actually being quite nice. But...," Bella's voice drifts off into silence as she rubs her right side, looking nervously at Jacob.

"But?"

"Nothing."

**III**

Bella watches as Charlie lifts Billy's wheelchair in the back of the truck, burying her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"I wanted to ask you something, Bella," Jacob says. He is standing next to her, hands buried deep in his pockets just like hers. The front porch seems much smaller than both of them remember as they stand there, Jacob waiting for the words to pass his lips and Bella wondering whether he is waiting for a reaction from her.

"I know the weather isn't exactly great, but you know it doesn't get much better than this anyway and I was just wondering if you're fine with it, I mean it's not Arizona or anything, but sometimes the sun does come out and then it's nice and, well – what I wanted to ask is, there's a bonfire this Friday on First Beach down at the rez. My Dad will be there and just some people, friends. I was wondering if maybe... you wanted to come along? Would be great if the could meet you and... you know, you haven't seen the beach in a while."

Bella has to listen carefully as Jacob chatters on to understand what he is asking. A strand of his long black hair has come loose, and she finds it annoyingly distracting as the wind keeps on blowing it across his cheek.

The urge to reach out and tuck it securely back behind his ear scares her, and she tries to think of something else.

"What do you say?" Jacob asks, and Bella realizes she has tried too hard to distract herself.

"I would love to see the beach again," she says quietly, goose bumps erupting all over her skin as a hefty breeze hits her.

The prospect of meeting so many of Jacob's friends seems horrifying, but then that sunshine smile breaks out across Jacob's face, and Bella once again believes it must be contagious, the corner of her own lips pulled upwards against any law of gravity.

"Great, I'll give you a call when I know when we start, okay?"

"Okay."


	6. Part 6

Part Six

**I**

Sliding underneath the purple cover, Bella lets her head drop into the pillow with a soft _thud_. The week has passed by in a slow blur so far, and she is looking forward to tomorrow night's trip to the beach.

She has spent the entire week trying to see past Edward Cullen's obvious attractions, the golden eyes, the pale skin, the smile, the copper hair and his suddenly all too polite manners.

There is something mysterious about him, something Bella, who reads more books than the rest of her class combined, can not find words for.

She is quite glad to have him as her partner in Biology – it was never her strongest subject and somehow, he seems to know the answer to every single question. Still, she spends more time trying to figure out what exactly is not quite right about him than paying attention to what he is telling her about the assignment.

The ring of her phone bans Edward Cullen from Bella's mind, and she sleepily reaches out her hand to grab it from her nightstand.

_Dad says they won't let you leave if you bring that pasta salad ;) Can't wait for tomorrow. Good night. Jake_

A tired smile stretches across Bella's face, quickly turning into a yawn. The lack of sleep these last nights – her mind too occupied with mysteries and ancient legends and occasional, much too realistic nightmares that involve Edward Cullen more than she was comfortable with - has her eyes dry, and everything she sees seems milky and diffuse, but somehow she manages to type a quick reply.

_I guess I better ask Charlie to pick me up in the cruiser then ;) Good night, Jake. Bella_

Her eyes flutter shut before she even drops the phone back onto her nightstand, and she tries to think of sand, rock and salty water instead of golden eyes staring deep into her soul.

**II**

Jacob's heart is beating wildly in his chest as he walks down towards First Beach with Bella by his side. The sun has pretty much set, but a faint orange glow remains in the sky, embracing everything in warmth and peace.

He knows that Bella has no idea how important this is to him, to have her here on this beach with him. Deep down, he understands he is clinging to childhood memories too tightly, but this represents the closure to him he has been looking for for so long. Being reunited with Bella on this beach is like his entire childhood, the happy bits and the tragic pieces, coming full circle. With her here tonight, he can finally let go of any debris of that long gone past he has been clinging too so strongly for so long.

Carrying the bowl with salad, he leads the way, carefully daring a glimpse at Bella by his side. Her cheeks are flushed from the cool, harsh wind, and her hair is a tangled mess on her head.

"They're all really nice, trust me. Quil and Embry can be jerks sometimes, just ignore them if they ask you any stupid questions, but they're good guys, no worries."

Bella laughs quietly. He has figured out already that she is not the laughing kind of girl. She's quiet, he is the one talking. These small smiles, faint stretches of her lips, he knows he has to treasure and work for.

**III**

The sky is crystal clear, and the moonlight provides just enough light to make out where sand ends and water begins.

Everyone else has left by now, but Bella insisted on staying just a bit longer and Jacob was not going to let her stroll on the beach at night all by herself.

Bella feels odd, thrown into a world she has no proper memories, but so much knowledge of.

The evening has been much better than she expected, and Jacob was right. Everyone has be warm and welcoming, no one pushed her to talk more than she was comfortable with, and after a while, she has come to find Quil and Embry's goofiness more than quiet amusing.

"Sorry about Quil and Embry, they don't know when to stop," Jake says, kicking some pebbles through the darkness.

"I had fun," Bella simply states, suddenly stopping. Her gaze wanders across the blinking ocean, moonlight and stars reflecting as millions of sparkling light on the pitch black wavy surface.

They stand in silence for a few minutes, nothing but the rush of the ocean echoing between them.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your mom, Jake."

It is only a whisper, but it carries so much weight that Bella feels liberated once the words fade into silence.

"That was a long time ago."

"Still."

"Do you remember her?"

Bella turns around, only to barely make out the blank expression on Jacob's face.

"I _know_ a lot," she admits, trying so hard to find memories she knows she has lost over the year, "But I don't _remember_ much. I don't even remember what your sisters looked like but I know they were always really loud."

Jacob laughs quietly in the darkness.

"And I know I fell once, I still have a scar on my knee. I know you were the most annoying kid to have to play with ever. And the water... it was always so cold."

"It always is."

Feeling something shift between them, something old and rusty finally clicking into place, Bella can not stop herself as she reaches out her hand to grab Jacob's. His eyes flicker down to their joined hands before resting on the smile on her face.

"Thank you, Jake. For taking me back here."

"Sure, sure."


	7. Part 7

Part Seven

**I**

Later on, she can not tell for sure what really happened and what her imagination added in the twirl of adrenaline, fear and shock. But she knows that one moment she saw Edward Cullen staring at her from across the parking lot, her hands rummaging through her bag while her mind was filled with rocky beaches, and the next moment she was laying on the ground between two cars, Edward Cullen hovering above her, his golden eyes so close. Closer than ever before.

Something inside her has her trapped between gratefulness and distrust. The words_ thank you_ will not pass her lips, because she knows he was far away and then, all of a sudden, here was there, right next to her, and somehow Tyler's van had stopped just in time on the slippery ground.

No one could have reacted this quickly... Right?

Her head is spinning, headache mingling with pure exhaustion and suspicions and Charlie's worried voice begging her to just lay down and talk to her mother.

"I'm tired," she mumbles, head sinking into her pillow, and faintly she can hear her mother's frantic voice on the other end of the line talking her into an unsteady sleep.

**II**

"Yes?"

The tired, whisper-like mumble from the other end of the line, gravelly and dry like a summer afternoon, becomes the center of Jacob's world for a fragment of a second, and his heart calms back down to a normal rhythm.

All his father has told him was something about a car accident, and all the horrifying, blurry memories shot through Jacob's mind like razors reflecting sunlight, cutting through everything and leaving behind a blinding darkness.

"Bella? You okay? Your dad told Billy something about a car crash? Are you alright?"

Sheets shuffle in the background, and the sleepy sigh suddenly seems like the most beautiful, relieving sounds in the world.

"I'm okay, don't worry. The other car didn't even hit me, it's alright."

"What happened?" he asks, sinking down onto the wooden panels in the hallway, back flat against the cool wall.

Silence seems to stretch on forever between them, the rush of the phone line so uncomfortable compared to the rush of a river, or water running across stones.

"Can I come over, Jake?"

**III**

The tingle in her legs spreads slowly as the limbs are trapped underneath her body. She nervously kneads her fingers, almost as if she was trying to tie a sophisticated knot.

The heavy silence that lingers in Jacob's small room is suffocating, and Bella starts to regret ever having driven here.

It had taken her much longer to drive down to La Push than it normally should, but Charlie had been more than reluctant to let Bella drive her truck after the accident earlier today. The minutes she had wasted reassuring her father that she had not even been _in _her truck at the time had been minutes that increased the anxiety bubbling inside of her like molten lava. She needed someone to _know_.

"Bella," Jacob sighs. He sits on the floor, looking up at her with worry and uncertainty.

"I know it sounds silly, but I don't think I imagined it. He was on the other side of the parking lot when I came out of the school, I'm sure. And then he was just... there, all of a sudden. How? I couldn't have imagined him, right? He was right there, right in front of me. But he couldn't have crossed the parking lot that fast."

Bella suddenly feels silly for opening up about these suspicions. Maybe she really hit her head, maybe she wanted answers so badly that her mind made them up for her.

"Bella... you had a bad day, I'm sure that was a lot of stress and maybe... you know-"

"You think I'm making it all up?"

"No, Bella. No," Jacob whispers, pushing himself off the ground to kneel in front of Bella, "I don't think you made it up, I trust you. I believe you think this is what happened. But... Maybe I shouldn't have told you those stories. Maybe, with all the stress, you just believe this is what you saw, you know? Maybe he was closer to you than you think."

"Yeah, maybe," Bella mumbles. She is disappointed. Somehow, she has hoped that telling Jacob was the only way to make it real. He is the only person she wants to tell this. Then again, what did she expect? Maybe she was going crazy.

"Thank you for listening, Jake."

"No problem," he says with a smile, chastely patting her knee as he stands up, "Try not to worry about it too much. Maybe you should avoid the guy for a while. And who knows, maybe your memory will clear a bit, or you'll think of something that you forgot."


	8. Part 8

**Part Eight**

**I**

Nothing more comes into her mind, no debris, no fragments of information lost in the cold turmoil of that day, and so the weeks stretch on, time flying by like a bird in a storm.

She speaks no word of the accident, avoiding Edward Cullen like a fly, barely looking at him in the classroom or passing him in the hallway, even though something inside her pulls towards him like magnets.

Glimpses of the accident flash through her mind every time she drags her tired feet across the wet parking lot. The screeching tires, the feeling of her stomach flipping as she slipped, the blow when something – someone – caught her I mid-air, the cold asphalt under her palms, the van coming closer and closer and closer, her eyes blurring, everything coming out of focus.

Nothing ever changes, not a little fragment. He is across the parking lot, far away, and then he is right there next to her, the flash of a second and yards across the lot. Time seems to be zooming in in her memory, from one second to the other.

It happened, just the way she remembers it. She just does not understand why. Or how.

**II**

"I'm sorry it's such a mess, I would've cleaned this up a bit if I'd known you were coming," Jacob shouts over his shoulder, trying to drop oil-stained cloths in the overflowing trash can in the corner, kick magazines under the work bench that he is sure Bella would not appreciate, shove tools aside and wipe dust off the ancient boxes that serve as seats.

"It's fine, Jake, really," Bella tries to reassure him, watching her feet carefully as she follows Jacob into his makeshift garage, half hidden by the woods and the small, red house.

"I don't want you to trip or anything," Jacob continues, still busy trying to make the hopeless mess look only a little bit more presentable. If he is being honest to himself, all he really wants to accomplish is hiding the blush that threatens to give away truths he much rather wants to keep for himself, and to have safe words to say that do not threaten to bring on words and conversations that he knows Bella is not ready to hear.

"Is that the car you told me about?"

He turns around to see Bella standing in front of the old, rusty red Volkswagen Rabbit, head to the side, fingers running over the dusty hood.

"Yeah, that's the Rabbit," he says, quickly stumbling over to her. His foot gets caught in a spare tire, but he plays it off as a big leap towards the car, quickly wiping his bare hands over the hood.

"Is it working?"

The hint of admiration in Bella's eyes makes Jacob's heart beat a little faster, and his chest swells with so much pride he is sure Quil and Embry would slap him.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it."

He watches Bella carefully, trying to decipher what is going on in her mind as a big grin spreads across her pale face.

"Can I help?"

**III**

It all falls into place so easily, so effortlessly, that it almost has the force to scare Bella. Never in her life has she been able to connect this easily with people, has enjoyed a straying conversation to the amount she does now, has held her belly as painful shots of laughter run through it.

Days pass by so lightly, afternoons spent in Jacob's small garage, tinkering and snickering, memories of the incident in the parking lot fading.

Bella has always believed that being alone, on her own with no one there to interfere with her thoughts and peace, is the way things are meant to be for her. Yet, slowly, Jacob's smiles and the smell of motor oil that seems to stick to her clothes more and more each day, make her over think that belief.

Maybe, just maybe, she is more like the other girls than she knows. Perhaps there is a part inside of her that is more like her mother than Charlie. A part that enjoys company more than solitude.


	9. Part 9

Part Nine

**I**

"You and Jake getting along?" Charlie asks one day during dinner, scraping his fork across his plate in discomfort. Bella wonders why he all of a sudden feels the need to ask her this sort of question, but she shrugs away her curiosity.

"We do."

"You're down at the rez a lot."

"Yeah, Jake has this old car he's re-building, and he's trying to teach me some motor skills, as he calls it. I'm a hopeless case, I think."

"Easy to believe," Charlie chuckles, seemingly relieved, "But I hope he won't actually try and drive that."

Bella rolls her eyes as Charlie gives her his best chief of police glare.

"Not anytime soon."

**II**

"It's boring."

"How can you know it's boring when you haven't even read a single page?"

It is one of the days that she is propped up against Charlie's recliner, calculus book on her lap, ink covering her palms, and feeling personally offended by Jacob's dislike of actual books.

"I read the Wikipedia summary the other day. It's boring."

"Honestly? That's your only argument?"

"Enough for me," Jacob replies casually, crossing his arms behind his head, long legs stretched out across the floor.

Bella is just about to say something more on the subject, always and forever trying to convince Jacob that there really is nothing better than a good book, when Jacob's foot bumps into her thigh.

It is an accident of course, his legs too long, his eyes closed. But the shiver that rushes over Bella frightens her. It's foreign, almost annoying in its intensity.

"Sorry," Jacob mumbles, pulling back his leg.

Bella says nothing in return, feels a blush creep into her cheeks instead.

"Any plans for the summer?" he asks after a few minutes of silence in which Bella tries hard to pretend that the numbers and letters in her book actually make any kind of common sense to her.

"Not really. You?"

Jacob sits up, and looks at her with that sunny, hope-filled smile that seems to have the same effect on Bella as puppy eyes.

"How do you feel about camping?"

**III**

"Your leg okay?"

Bella nods, putting on a brave face while her shin pulsates with pain. She should have known that a junkyard is the last place on Earth she should set foot in.

"Sorry I didn't catch you," Jacob says with a chuckle, and Bella can see him grinning from her peripheral vision.

"You were quite far away, so I'll forgive you this time."

Their combined laughter echoes through the old truck, drowning out the scratchy sound of a cereal commercial on the radio.

Halfway out of Port Angeles, Bella almost crashes the truck against a street sign when Jacob suddenly gasps, face glued to the passenger window.

"What is it?" Bella asks, heart racing a little as she stops the car by the side of the road.

"Look."

Rolling her eyes when Jacob points his head at the two dirt bikes in someone's front yard – emphasis on _dirt_ – Bella pulls the key out of the ignition.

"You want to go and have a look?"

Jacob turns to look out onto the street ahead, clearly in thought.

"No, I can't afford them anyway. I don't really believe in getting a glimpse of something you know you can't have," he says with a smile, and Bella wonders for a moment. Just wonders.


	10. Part 10

I'm really, really sorry for the delayed update. I'm writing something else at the moment, and felt more inspired to continue that over the last week.

* * *

Part Ten

**I**

"What do you think? Jake?"

"Hmm? Ouch, what the hell was that for?"

"I need your help deciding if I should skip English or Chemistry tomorrow, and you are lost somewhere in Bella-Swan-fairyland."

"I was not-"

"Sure, you just randomly sit there with your eyes all dreamy, not giving a fuck about my much more important problems. Dude, I can't read minds, but with you I don't need to. It's like you have a billboard plastered to your dumb head saying _I want to fuck Bella Swan_."

"Shut up, Embry."

"Not until I get an answer."

"Oh, I don't know. She's always coming over here, and I think she really likes me, but there's never any... She's just here, you know. There's nothing more, ever. But... maybe that's better."

"I meant school, but whatever. Dude, ever thought about actually doing something about it? If not, for the love of the little bit of Quil's brain, just _do_ something."

**II**

Jacob hears the roaring of her truck, pulling up slowly in the driveway, and he drops the screwdriver in his hand, not really caring much where it lands.

"Hey, Bells!" he greets her as he meets her halfway, immediately catching her small body, wrapping her up in his arms. She is so light that he easily lifts her of her feet, and she is pressed so close against his chest that he can actually _feel_ her giggling. The rush it sends through his entire body is almost embarrassingly obvious, and he quickly sets her back down on her own two, clumsy feet.

"I brought you something," Bella says with a grin so wide Jacob is impressed he can still recognize her at all.

She tugs at the sleeve of his shirt, and together they stumble back towards the truck. When Jacob sees what is hidden in the trunk, he stops dead in his tracks.

"You... You did not..."

"I did, they weren't expensive at all. They wanted to get rid of them, really."

The two dirt bikes are in a disastrous state, but Jacob does not care.

"Why?" he stutters, eyes flickering between the pile of scrap metal and the proud grin on Bella's face.

"I thought we could fix them up. And go on that camping trip you suggested. Do you think we can get them done before school starts again?"

She looks so enthusiastic, and he can feel himself falling a little harder for her. There is no way she actually cares about the bikes, or camping (he still remembers her wrinkled nose when he had suggested it).

But she wants to fix the bikes with _him_. And go camping with _him_.

**III**

"_So_, Bella," Jessica chatters next to her, distracting Bella from the fact that Edward Cullen is staring at her again from across the cafeteria.

Why the mere fact that she exists seems such a hardship for him is still a mystery to her. As much of a mystery as he is himself.

But Jessica is merciless when it comes to attention, and so Bella quickly finds herself facing pink shirt and straightened hair instead of the death glare she can still feel prickling in her neck.

"I hear you've been down to La Push quite often lately," Jessica continues, her fingers playing with the sleeve of Mike's shirt.

Bella does not even bother asking how she came to have that information. This is Jessica. She just knows these things.

Lauren raises her perfectly plugged eyebrows and leans closer, and Bella knows they are both eagerly awaiting a _juicy story_.

"Yes," Bella answers simply, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Any specific reason?" Lauren investigates further, leaning closer as if this was a top secret meeting.

"I have a friend who lives there."

"A friend?"

"Yes."

"What kind of friend?"

Bella wonders for a second what kinds of friend there are. But then she realizes that Jacob is indeed a different kind of friend to her than Jessica, Angela or any other person at this school. She gets along very well with them, with Jessica who does all the talking and with Lauren who just judges and with Mike who gives her looks and with Angela who can be as quiet as Bella herself.

But when she thinks of how happy she is with Jake, of how much time she spends with him, and wants to spend with him, of the ease in their conversations, of how _he_ would be the person to confide in, she realizes that Jessica's question is a good one.

"You know, a friend," she answers casually, turning the cup with orange juice in her hand.


End file.
